The Harper Government's war on science is continuing apace, with their most recent target being the National Research Council of Canada. In his announcement of major restructuring at NRC, president John MacDougall uttered this jaw-dropper: “Scientific discovery is not valuable unless it has commercial value." It is one of several statements in recent weeks that shows how the Harper Conservatives just don't get science.

It is now two weeks since the federal government removed Environment Canada's logo from weather.gc.ca. Most of the commentaries so far have missed the point. The changes were not made primarily to give more space for Conservative Action Plan ads (although they do), but were more likely intended to further marginalize Environment Canada so that it will be even easier to dismantle.

Scott Findlay takes Minister Gary Goodyear to task over his claim that “no government in the history of this country has supported science as much as this government has.” Canada's funding ranking is actually the same now as it was in 2000, but with investments increasingly at the top of the "research pyramid". Findlay outlines the government's broad assault on basic science and invites you to "weigh evidence".

Environment Secretary Michelle Rempel hasbeendefending the Harper government against charges that it is muzzling scientists. She does not deny the allegations, but instead makes a variety of spurious assertions while claiming to be "optimistic" about the investigation's outcome.

Calgary-based Uravan Metals is blaming Nunavut regulators for killing their proposal to explore for uranium at Garry Lake, near Baker Lake, Nunavut. CBC reports that "the Nunavut Impact Review Board had referred the exploration project to a full environmental review, citing concerns about the sensitive caribou habitat in the area. Uravan president Larry Lahusen said that decision blindsided him and derailed the project."

MUST READ: Financier Jeremy Grantham writes in Nature that soaring commodity prices reveal we are running out of critical resources. In particular, phosphate and potash use "must be drastically reduced in the next 20–40 years or we will begin to starve." The problems are exacerbated by climate change, which he calls "the crisis of our species' existence." He implores scientists to be brave, speak out, and even risk arrest.